WALL TOWNSHIP – A body was found inside an Allaire Road home that burned for several hours on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

Wall Police Chief Robert Brice said an autopsy would be performed on Monday to determine the identification.

While firefighters doused the home with water for several hours, authorities and family members of the resident said an elderly woman was unaccounted.

Susan Finelli, of Brick, said her aunt, Marion Newman, lived at the home by herself and had not yet been found at around 3:30 p.m. Finelli said she spoke to Newman about an hour and a half before the fire, as each Saturday they would go out for about four hours to the Dollar Store, Foodtown, ShopRite and Kmart.

“Every Saturday I take her shopping, it’s a weekly habit,” Finelli said. “She said she was cold, didn’t feel good, said she wanted to stay in bed for a little bit and call me later.”

Newman worked for the A&P for 49 years and described her as a “recluse.”

“The house had so much stuff in it - she was a hoarder,” Finelli said. “She loved to buy things and she always took care of everybody. She was a good soul.”

Brice said the amount of contents inside the home prevented firefighters from getting inside sooner. Firefighters were seen tossing items outside the home and appeared to be using rakes to clear entryways.

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Police officers who first responded to the scene heard voices and tried to get inside the house, but were unable to because of the amount of smoke and flames, Brice said. Police later learned the voices were not from the woman.

After Firefighters responded, they also tried to get inside and encountered heavy smoke and flames, as well as numerous items inside the home, Brice said. At one point, fire crews had to evacuate the structure while continuing to pour water on the exterior of the home.

At around 12:15 p.m. a large plume of smoke could be seem approximately two miles away from the blaze. As the house was being doused with water throughout the afternoon, firefighters cut through tree branches near the home and were seen pulling items from the home as they tried to get inside.

Allaire Road at Route 34 remained shut down as of around 6:30 p.m. and police were seen putting up crime scene tape at around 3 p.m. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office was also on the scene.